WFP Series: So What’s Wrong with Socialism? (Part 1) Jose Borrajero

In this three-part series, WFP’s Brad Zinn interviews three naturalized US citizens who lived under socialist/communist regimes and can describe first-hand what it’s like.

Americans who think socialism sounds like a good way to achieve “social justice” would do well to listen to all three interviews. And Americans who have come to take freedom for granted would benefit from these poignant reminders of how easily freedom can slip away under a socialistic/communistic regime.

In this first of three parts, Mr. José Borrajero, Rapid Response Team Leader for the Arizona 2012 Project, describes life under Castro’s Cuba and his family’s escape to the United States. No one is more American than a naturalized American citizen who himself or herself escaped from tyranny to live in freedom.

Topics covered by Brad and José appear below in a time-line index.

00:00 When Jose came to America01:16 Life in Cuba under Batista02:20 How Castro seemed, at first, like a good leader03:30 Castro’s promises04:30 Castro’s delivery on his promises05:30 Castro’s hidden socialism blossoms openly06:50 Castro’s round-up, trial, and execution of alleged enemies08:02 Neighborhood spies08:20 Confiscation of arms and real property – a personal story09:55 The Bay of Pigs and Jose’s father’s internment in a concentration camp11:00 Che Guevera, Castro’s executioner12:00 What Jose thinks when he sees young people with Che T-shirts12:30 The Cuban community in Florida12:55 Jose’s own view on the embargo of Cuba — lift it!14:40 Kennedy’s promises to Castro after the Cuban Missile Crisis16:05 Castro’s concentration camps — the use of baseball stadiums16:40 Daily life under Castro’s socialism18:00 Why socialism failed in Cuba just as it has everywhere else18:20 Would the right people make socialism succeed?19:15 Socialist/Communist education of the children and the illiterate21:25 How Jose and his younger brother, alone, came to America23:25 Cuba’s national health care system — high quality for govt elites only24:35 What is wrong with socialism — why is capitalism better?

WesternFreePress.com thanks the Arizona 2012 Project for providing the facilities for this interview.

David Leeper is a retired engineer living in Scottsdale, AZ, with his wife of 45 years. He is currently a volunteer science teacher at AzScienceLab.com. In his 40-year career he held positions from lab technician to technical vice president at Bell Labs, Motorola, and Intel. He holds 16 patents in telecom technology and a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. During his career, he wrote mainly for technical journals including Scientific American. He began writing for WesternFreePress.com in 2011.